Holidays: Merriment, Traditions, and Fruitcake
by Morgana Fae
Summary: Castle Wyvern is alive with activity as the clan prepares for Christmas while a certain fae is having to deal with a certain ordeal of his own. Join them as they celebrate the season of giving and learn new traditions.


Holidays: Merriment, Traditions, and Fruitcake

By: Morgana Fae

MLZ2883@aol.com

Rated: PG

Legal Jargon: Gargoyles are the property of Disney/Buena Vista. I have no ties to Gargoyles; I'm just borrowing them.

Summary: Castle Wyvern is alive with activity as the clan prepares for Christmas while a certain fae is having to deal with a certain ordeal of his own. Join them as they celebrate the season of giving and learn new traditions.

A/N: a) This is a Christmas fic written for the holiday season that is upon us. b) May you have a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanza. c.) Written between Nov. 28 and December 12, 2001. d.) A big thanks goes out to Demelza who beta-read this for me.

Manhattan was alive with activity as people rushed about doing last minute odds and ends. With all the flurry of activity, it looked like a colony of ants getting ready for winter from the view the clan got from above, in the sky. People carried packages and bags as Santas stood on street corners rings their bells. Window displays offered views of what was for sale along with winter, Christmas, and Hanukah themes.

New Yorkers, who were normally in a grumpy mood, found themselves smiling and being cheerful as others smiled at them. The season was in full speed as everyone was heading home to spend the nights with those they loved.

Up high above the city, on the highest building in the world, the atmosphere was no different then down below. The inhabitants of the castle were happy and cheerful. The rooms were warm with fires blazing in all the large hearths and decorations of greens and garland were hung in doorways and around windows. Sounds of Christmas music blared from the stereo in one of the many rooms. In all, it was a joyous time for those of Castle Wyvern.

In the wing that the gargoyles occupied, the scents of cookies, cinnamon, and pine filled the air. Broadway had earlier brought cookies he made to the media room to share with the clan. A large and full pine tree stood leaning against the wall waiting to be decorated.

As the clock struck eight, the door to the room swung open and in entered a stack of packages and bags being carried by a young woman. The sight gave the impression that the packages and bags were walking on their own since the head of the individual carrying them was buried behind that large stack. Seeing this, several members of the clan came forward to offer their assistance.

Goliath took the boxes while Brooklyn and Lexington took the bags as Elisa removed her coat and tossed it over the back of the couch. Sitting all the items on the floor, the younger two began to peek in the packages and bags to see what their human friend had brought with her. Goliath meanwhile stood aside and hugged Elisa after watching the two eager warriors momentarily.

"It is good to see you," Goliath replied, not having seen his ladylove in several nights. He ran his talons through her night colored tresses.

With a smile, Elisa replied, "I've missed you. It's good to be here tonight."

Goliath studied Elisa and found her not to be wearing her traditional wardrobe, but instead, she was dressed in a red sweater with snowflakes on it along with black jeans and workboots. Her hair hung down her back as usual.

Angela, with Bronx in tow, came into the room and greeted her friend with a hug while Bronx wagged his tail and jumped on her. Hudson came in a few minutes later and gave the detective a hug as well before taking a seat in his favorite recliner with Bronx at his feet.

Looking around the room, Elisa asked, "Where is Broadway?"

With a smile on her lips Angela answered, "He is in the kitchen baking. What he is making, I don't know. He will not tell us, let alone permit us access to the kitchen." 

"I see," Elisa replied with a smile, walking over to the bags and boxes that were set aside. She gently pushed away the two young warriors who had been digging through them then began to look for something. "Now where are those damn lights?" she muttered.

"These lights?" spoke a voice from behind Elisa. With a groan, she turned to find herself with none other then Puck floating at eye level holding the lights she sought. 

"Puck! What are you doing here?" Goliath demanded.

"Ah, sharing the Christmas spirit with you guys, mister gloomy loincloth," the fae said, with a grin, straightening the Santa hat he wore.

"How did you get out? I don't see Alex with you so I know this isn't a magic lesson," Goliath said, ignoring Puck's last comment.

"Daddy Oberon is a sucker for the Christmas holidays. So, being that I've been a good boy this year and since he's in the cheerful mood, he let me off the hook. He gave me permission to have some fun this year." Puck smiled and with a flash of light Goliath went from wearing his traditional loincloth to wearing a Santa suit including a white beard and the tradition bowl full of jelly belly. "Now that's more like it."

"PUCK!" the words echoed though out the entire wing of the castle. The whole clan turned their heads and looked at their leader. To top it off the door opened and in rushed Xanatos. He stood there with a bemused look on his face after seeing what all the commotion had been caused by.

"Sporting a new look this season, Goliath?" the multibillionaire asked a smile of amusement playing upon his lips.

"Say another word, Xanatos, and I swear, I _will_ hurt you. I won't even take it into consideration that you are now my ally," Goliath threatened.

Suddenly there was another in the room. Fox had come as soon as she head Goliath yelling Puck's name. "What is going on in here?" she asked, with concern. "Goliath?" She gave lavender Santa a closer look.

"Yes, Fox it is I," he replied, tugging at his beard only to find it attached to his chin. He flinched. "If I were you I would advise your husband to keep his mouth shut unless the two of you wish to cease having children."

Cringing, Xanatos unconsciously crossed his legs and then made his way to the door, "If everyone will excuse me. I have to…uh… tend to… uh," he rushed "…some unfinished business." He then left. Fox then followed shortly after him.

Turning to Puck who was whistling a Christmas tune, Goliath grabbed the fae by the front of his tunic and said in a stern voice, "Change me back to my true form before you regret it." The look on the lavender giant's face told him that he was dead serious and not in the mood to be toyed with.

"All right, all right. Don't wrinkle the shirt. Do you know how hard it is to get them out of this material?" the trickster replied trying to release the angry lavender gargoyle's grip.

With a few words and a flash of light, Goliath was back to his old form. He gave a growl and retreated to a corner with Elisa. Puck floated over to the cart, took one of the cookies off it and ate it as he watched the people around him interact with one another. He wore a smile that only meant one thing; he had something up his sleeve.

Brooklyn and Lexington managed to go back to the bags and packages and sneak a few more peaks before being spotted, "Hey! You're not going to find any presents in there, guys," Elisa said, with smile. The two gave a look of disappointment and abandoned their search.

Bored as everyone was, they waited until Broadway was done in the kitchen so they could start decorating. The stocky gargoyle entered the room a while later pushing a cart loaded with cookies, cake, and eggnog among other things. Everyone approached him and soon was stuffing themselves with the rich and delectable treats.

With the treats eaten and bellies full, everyone moved on to decorate the room along with the wing the clan occupied. Greens woven with holly were hung along the walls in them while a wreath was hung on each of the doors. Ribbons accompanied the greens and garland that were formed into swags. Several candles were set on a table and lit, giving off cents of cinnamon, pine and berry. The fireplace was decked with greens and candles on the mantle while a wreath was hung above it.

The room was soon transformed into a christmasy wonderland. Music intertwined with the sounds of laughter, chatter, and merriment. The clan and Elisa took a break to have more eggnog and cookies before moving on to tackle the tree.

Elisa, reclining against Goliath's massive body, smiled at the sight of the clan. They were happy and excited to incorporate new traditions with the old. They knew the meaning behind the season and found it interesting although they still honored the old ways they were raised with. 

The trio and Angela were trying to sing along with one of the songs playing on the stereo although they were off-key. Hudson sat in his chair drinking his eggnog while Bronx chewed on… "Bronx!" Elisa cried out and dashed in the direction of the gargbeast. "No, bad boy," she scolded as she rescued a strand of lights from the beast's death gripping jaws. She examined the lights and found them merely covered in slobber. No teeth marks were evident so that was a good sign.

Puck looked up from what he was doing and laughed at the scene he had just witnessed. With his attention back to he was doing, he picked up a piece of cake and took a bite. He found that he was unable to. Observing the content, he saw that it was a piece of what humans called fruitcake. Suddenly an idea came to him. 

Taking the fruitcake, he launched it in the direction of the wall. The projectile hit the stone and bounced off speeding back in his direction. It missed him and landed on the floor. The fae cocked his head and then observed the unmarred fruitcake with his head resting in his hands that were supported by his elbows on his knees.

After everyone was done, they gathered around and decided on the best place for the tree. With the tree in its stand, Goliath was honored with the job of moving it from one place to another hoping that each was the right spot but was agitated each time after hearing Elisa say move it "right", "left", "not your right, but mine" too many times. Setting it in front of the large window that was in the room, Goliath stepped away and moved to stand beside Elisa.

"I think it's crooked, Big Guy. See how it leans to the _right_?" She replied. Goliath gave a mock roar and grabbed Elisa. He held her close to his body and whispered in her ear, "Its fine where it is." He then gave her a quick kiss.

Puck looked at the two as they shared the kiss. Smiling, he muttered something under his breath then motioned for Brooklyn to come to him. The trickster whispered in the second's ear and he smiled. Puck then turned his attention back to the fruitcake. With a wave of his hand an anvil appeared out of no where and fell to the floor, landing on the fruitcake. The anvil then disappeared and revealed a solid unsquished piece of cake. Puck cursed under his breath.

Brooklyn gathered his two brothers and whispered something in their ears. With a laugh, they dashed from the room to go and fetch what they needed. Puck watched as they did and smiled. Angela, lost at what was going on between the trio shrugged it off and finished untangling a strand of light that needed to be undone before they could go on the large tree. Hudson was too busy trying to rescue another strand of light from Bronx to be paying attention. Elisa and Goliath were too caught up in cuddling and chatting in the corner.

The sounds of music muted the noise the trio made as they came back to the room. With a few preparations, the plan was set into motion. Angela saw what they were up to and shook her head but smiled. Knowing they could act like hatchlings at time, the boys were still thoughtful and sweet.

"Are we going to decorate the tree now that it's set up?" casually, asked Brooklyn.

Elisa pulled away from Goliath, but he still kept an arm wrapped around her waist as they approached the tree. "I'm ready when you guys are," she replied, as she and Goliath then moved in the direction of the bags and packages where the decorations were stored.

"Yes!" cheered the trio and Angela who helped get the decorations.

"Okay, the first thing to do when decorating the tree is to put on the lights." Elisa explained, demonstrating how the lights went on. The clan caught on and was soon stringing lights onto the ten-foot tree.

Before long, the entire tree was aglow and twinkling with white lights. Everyone stood back and watched as the lights twinkled like little stars. The clan was amazed at such a simple thing.

"Is this the end of decorating the tree?" asked Angela.

"No, this just the beginning. We still have to put on the decorations," Elisa explained.

Elisa moved away from the group to get a box containing a bunch of glass balls. She showed them to everyone and they began to put them on the tree. She also introduced some other ornaments that she had picked up the past few weeks. There was a castle, a dragon, a boat, a mirror, and a sword among other things. Each ornament represented something she explained.

"The castle represents home. The boat represents our journey on the skiff. The mirror stands for our transformations with Titania's mirror," she said and went on.

The clan found that for such small things they could hold a large meaning behind them. Elisa handed the ornaments to everyone and before long, they were strategically placing balls and other objects around the tree. Though the clan was capable of crashing bare steel with a single hand, they treated the fragile glass and other fine ornaments with such gentleness.

With the ornaments on, Elisa introduced them to tinsel and some holly, which were to be placed on the branches and in any holes that were visible to the naked eye. As she opened her mouth, "Watch the holly. It's got…"

"Ouch," roared Goliath dropping the holly and putting his finger in his mouth as his eyes glowed white. 

"Sharp ends on the leaves," she finished though the information was too late.

Goliath gave her a look. Elisa shrugged and said, "I tried to warn you." The trio and Angela took heed to the warning and used caution when handling the holly.

Hudson had since taken refuge in his chair complaining something about giving is old bones a rest and being to old to be learning new things. Elisa merely shook her head and went on with decorating.

Puck meanwhile divided his attention between the tree decorating party and the indestructible fruitcake. He was still on the losing end of the fruitcake escapade, but he felt he was closing in on it. He had tried vast amounts of heat and cold to destroy it but neither had worked. The heat only caused the cake to erupt into a small ball of flames. It would appear that whoever had made the cake had added a large quantity of rum to it. He vowed that he would not rest until the miserable piece of cake had been eaten as he snuffed the flames out with his hat.

The tree, shortly after adding the tinsel and holly, was near completion. The last two things remaining were the skirt that went under the tree and the topper that went on top. Elisa produced the skirt and let Lexington put it at the base of the tree since he was the smallest. The crowning moment came when she revealed a beautiful angel dressed in silver, burgundy and forest green. The clan commented on it.

Offering it to Angela, she declined so Elisa offered it to the rest of the clan but each refused. Angela finally took it as Elisa felt herself losing touch with the floor beneath her feet. She turned to find Goliath holding her firmly yet gently.

"Elisa, since you introduced us to this tradition, it is only proper that you put on the angel," said Angela, handing Elisa the angel.

No matter how much she refused it was a losing battle for the detective. Goliath lifted her so she could reach the top-most branches. Carefully she placed the angel on top and had the others tell her if it was straight. Each gave an answer that was unrelated to the other.

Brooklyn wearing a smile said, "Perhaps if you stand over here you can judge for yourself."

Lexington, Broadway and even Angela, who had been let in on the secret, each agreed. Elisa sighed and asked Goliath to take a few steps back in the direction where the young warriors were standing. When the two came to stand in the designated area. Smiles became larger and they became giggly like a bunch of teenagers.

Hudson, who picked up on what the younger ones were doing, did nothing to stop them. He merely sat back enjoying the small show that was breaking out before him. Puck abandoned the damnable fruitcake for more entertaining sites. 

Elisa's cop instinct suddenly kicked in and she became aware that something was going on. Goliath also became aware of the difference and turned to look at the others who all wore innocent looks upon their faces. He turned back and let Elisa see how the angel was situated.

"Elisa, what do you think?" questioned the lavender giant.

"Well, Goliath, I think it's fine." Turning her gaze to the others, she added. "These guys need to learn to be more specific and observant."

"Speaking of being more observant, did you two observe where yous are standing?" piped up a smirking Brooklyn.

"What are you talking about?" Elisa asked, looking around as Goliath set her to her feet.

"Look up," the red second in command said, pointing upwards.

Looking up together, Elisa and Goliath found themselves standing under a sprig of mistletoe. "What is the big deal about this green plant?" asked Goliath.

"Well, Big Guy, it's a tradition. If you are caught under this green stuff which is called mistletoe, you have to kiss someone." Elisa explained, shooting the others a look that could have been registered as lethal weapon.

"And that means since the two of you are under it, you have to kiss one another," cut in Puck, wearing a smile. 

Goliath shot the floating trickster a look as the other agreed with Puck. He and Elisa gave them a look that they both seemed to have master in the past few minutes. Elisa muttered something under her breath as she turned to face Goliath. "Shall we give them what they want?" she said with a smile.

With a nod, Goliath picked up Elisa and captured her lips with his own. For someone who was new to the human tradition of kissing, Goliath had done rather well since he had had time to perfect his kissing technique since the Hunter's Moon. The kiss was gentle at first but as it intensified, Elisa wrapped her arms around Goliath's muscular neck and pulled him closer. Tender lips sought out what they craved and before long, they were satisfied.

Out of breath from the passionate kiss, Elisa broke away. Goliath set her to her feet and she leaned against Goliath with a hand over her racing heart. Looking at the others she asked, "Is that what you wanted to see?"

No one could utter a word. They were still dumbfounded over the kiss they had just witnessed. Puck was so startled that he forgot about concentrating on his floating that he fell to the floor, landing on his backside with a thump.

"Well if you guys are done playing around I think it's time to move on to the next event of the evening," Elisa replied.

"What is left, lass?" asked Hudson, from his chair.

"Presents," she exclaimed with a smile.

Everyone's faced lit up with excitement. Elisa looked around at everyone and said, "I'll be right back. Let me go and get the presents." She then left the room and headed down to the garage to get the presents out of her car.

The clan looked around at each other and soon they were all rushing out of the room and in every which way leaving a confused and bewildered Bronx behind.

Elisa arrived back a while later to find the clan where she left them or thought she had left them. The trio came forward and relieved her of the several large and overflowing bags she carried. Directing them to be put on the table, Elisa dug into each, one at a time, and pulled out an array of colorfully wrapped packages.

The detective situated them under the tree where the clan had already put their gifts. Curious as to who the gifts were from Elisa snuck a peak at some of the tags before continuing on with arranging the rest of the gifts under the tree.

When she was done, the clan and her stood back and looked at the tree. Some commented on it while others just wanted to open presents. Elisa had to laugh at their youthful spirits. She enjoyed it when the whole clan got together to participate in the festivities. 

"Alright, we'll open presents. You guys sure are anxious," Elisa said, laughing.

The room erupted into cheers as everyone gathered around the tree. Puck too was invited with a wave of Elisa's hand. He gave up on the fruitcake for the time being and floated over to the others. 

Eagerly, everyone dove for the presents and soon the colorful wrapping paper was flying in every direction. The sounds of ripping paper and music blended together creating the sounds of Christmas. Laughter and chatter also filled the room.

Elisa paused to watch the clan open their gifts. The looks on their faces were priceless and made her wish she had brought her camera so she could capture these timeless moments on film. Since she didn't have a camera, she would just have to store the images in her mind and remember them that way.

Goliath noted that his love had stopped to watch the others and he smiled at the scene. It was a pleasure to see them all enjoying the evening. He watched for a few more moments before returning to opening the gifts he had been given.

Elisa turned back to opening her gifts, only to look up when someone announced that a gift from her was being opened. Brooklyn was pleased with the selection of heavy metal and rock and roll CDs he had gotten. Goliath and Hudson gave Elisa a look of knowing that they would not be around when the music was being played. Broadway was excited to have gotten several cookbooks; he was ready to go straight to the kitchen so he could try the new recipes. Lexington received a new computer program that he had been talking about. Angela received a new tunic and some hair accessories. Hudson had received a new book written by his friend Jeffrey Robbins that had also been dedicated to him. Bronx had been given several large bones that were tough enough to withstand him jaw strength for a while before being eaten. Goliath received a book on classic stories and myths. 

Amongst the gifts Elisa received, she got several shirts from the trio; a movie from Hudson; a CD by her favorite singer from Bronx though she knew he did not personally buy it for her; and a framed picture of the clan and Elisa together from Angela.

Her favorite gift of all was a pendant shaped in the silhouette form of a gargoyle made from a piece of Goliath's stone skin. The gargoyle was Goliath. It had been polished and made to be smooth to the touch. The gray stone, suspended from a silver chain, was fastened around her slender neck soon after she opened it. Goliath had personally done the honor after being asked to. "To know that I will always be close to your heart, my love," Goliath whispered, as he fastened it.

Elisa held it in her hands and whispered back, "Forever will I wear it with love," she said in a soft tone that only Goliath could hear. She then kissed him.

Sitting on the edge of the group, Puck curiously looked at the gifts and found a few with his or in that case, Owen's name on them. Excitedly he ripped into the paper and found several ties amongst the gifts. Sighing at the sight of the boring and yet traditional gift, he cast them aside and knew Owen would like them better then the Puck form did.

Before long, all the presents had been opened and everyone was inspecting their gifts more closely. Upon closer inspection, Goliath found an envelope in his book. Opening it, he found a few small pieces of paper with messages written on them. Scanning them he read, "Good for a night with someone you hold dear to your heart", "Good for a romantic picnic in the park", etc.

Leaning over he kissed Elisa then whispered, "These will come in handy. Thank you, my love." Elisa smiled and thanked him again for the gift he had given her.

Puck returned to his mission on destroying the blasted fruitcake that would not die, let alone be eaten. Dusting it off he tried to eat it but it didn't happen. Instead, he wound up howling in pain as he nearly broke his teeth in the process of biting the hard dessert. Eyeing it, he got a light bulb moment. A small light bulb appeared above his head. He pulled the cord on it and turned out the light.

Whistling, he got Bronx's attention and called for the gargbeast. The dog came over and sniffed the offered treat. He gave a hard snort and the cake fell to the floor. He stuck his nose up at the indestructible food and turned away to go back to his position by Hudson's feet.

Muttering under his breath, Puck cursed the beast. There had to be a way of outsmarting and defeating the miserable fruitcake but he hadn't found a way yet.

Before long, the night's excitement and events were coming to a close, as dawn was but an hour away. Everyone was disappointed at the fact that the night had gone by so quickly and that it would soon be over. They finished cleaning up the wrapping paper and other messes they were responsible for. Before long, the room was clean and back in the order in which it had been found.

Sitting around, everyone talked and enjoyed the last bit of the evening. Though when the clock on the mantle chimed, the clan groaned and made their way out of the room and up to their roosting places with Elisa in tow. On the way out, Broadway stopped by the cart where the food was and took the piece of fruitcake that puck and been battling with all night. He ate it in one bite and then consumed the remainder of the cake that had been left untouched throughout the night. He then proceeded to follow the others.

As the sun rose over the city, transforming the clan to their stone forms under the watchful eye of their dear human friend, Puck remained behind too stunned at the since past sight of Broadway eating the miserable piece of fruitcake that he could not destroy. The dumfounded fae wound up on his backside once more because of the surprise and shock.

It was a mere gargoyle that was able to defeat the cake just by eating it. Not even the magic of one of Oberon's children could do that. 

The bewildered fae sat on the floor in disbelief. A look of sheer amazement and wind-eyed wonderment was present on his face as the morning sun shone through the window and onto the trickster.

The End.

A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this seasonal piece. Please read and review.

Happy Holidays :}


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